December Joyathon: Interview + Giveaway with Maggie Robinson

Meet Maggie:

coming 2012

I’d like to say I’ve known I wanted to write since I was a child, but it’s not true. Oh, sure, I was an English major at Adelphi University, but for years I was blissfully ignorant of word counts and deadlines. It wasn’t until I was “une femme d’un certain âge” (it sounds so much better in French) that I woke up in the middle of the night really annoyed with my husband over something (I can’t even remember what). Instead of smothering him with a pillow, I decided to get up and write—to create the perfect man—at least on a computer screen. Come to find out that fictional males can be irritating as well—they’re just as resistant to direction as my husband. The up side is that I’m finally using my English degree and am still married to my original, imperfect hero. Since I’m imperfect too, that makes us a perfect match.

Until my midnight keyboarding, I’d been a teacher, librarian, newspaper reporter, administrative assistant to two non-profits, community volunteer and mother of four in seven different states. Now I can call myself a romance writer in Maine. There’s nothing I like better than writing about people who make mistakes, but don’t let the mistakes make them. I’m all about the redemptive power of love—and a good night’s sleep. (source)

Where To Find Maggie: Author Site | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Vauxhall Vixens

Kati: Who is Maggie during the holidays? (author, gift giver, last minute shopper, baker)
Maggie: Decorator! I love putting up swags and Christmas decorations all through the house and outdoors. We usually have two trees and lights everywhere. I’ve collected ornaments since I was married. When my oldest daughter moved to her new house with a new baby, I gave her all of mine. So I had fun replacing them when I decided to have trees again last year, LOL. (Ooo...me too. I got ornaments to decorate our tree at my bridal shower since we were getting married close to Christmas.)

click to read an excerpt

K: What is your favorite thing about the holidays?
M: Getting together with my family. I’ve got four grown kids and almost four grandchildren (a grandson is due January 1!), all under the age of four. Next year it should be chaos. (early congrats!)

K: Do you write more or less during the holidays?
M: I really try to write at least 1,000 words a day, early in the morning, no matter what. My family knows it takes me a while to come out of my writing room!

K: If you’ve written a holiday themed/titled book, what is it about? If you have not, would you write a holiday themed/titled book in the future?
M: I haven’t really, although Christmas plays its part in the upcoming Lord Gray’s List (November 2012 from Kensington Brava). And the book I just finished, Lady Anne’s Lover (2013), features a very nice New Year’s Eve.

K: Which of your or Margaret Rowe’s characters would you have at your holiday feast and why?
M: The dining room is probably the last place I’d want my hot heroes, LOL. But Sir Michael Xavier Bayard from Mistress by Mistake (May 2010) knows what to do with raspberries and whipped cream. (Oh sheesh! That scene will be forever burned in my mind.)

K: What is your favorite Christmas story, book or movie? (Mine is White Christmas)
M: I love love love the movie Love Actually.

K: Real tree or fake tree?
M: Real (and tall because of the cathedral ceilings) in the living room, fake in the family room with the kids’ ornaments. There’s a little train under the fake tree that my one –year- old grandson derailed with regularity last year. We’ll see if now that he’s two if he can keep it on the tracks. I’m not betting on it.

K: Specific gifts or gift cards?
M: Both. We’ve swung from going absolutely crazy cash-wise buying the kids presents to being more modest. Now I donate to food banks and other charities instead of get things nobody really needs. But it’s hard to resist toys for the grandchildren.

click to read an excerpt

K: Fruit cake or gingerbread?
M: I am probably the only person in America who loves fruitcake and doesn’t view it as a doorstop. My dad used to order one from the Collins Street Bakery and doctor it up with whiskey. Wowza. Maybe it’s just the whiskey I like. ;) (lol. You're not alone. Tessa Dare likes it too.)

K: Just enough decorations or “every tree lighted, blow up snowglobe, snow man in the yard” decorations?
M: I live in Maine, where there are lots of pine trees and natural beauty. We just go for evergreen roping on the porch railing with tiny lights, and a fresh wreath on the door. Oops, forgot the tin wiggly Santa that sits on the porch table and jiggles with the wind.

K: Home for the holidays or visiting relatives?
M: Usually home.

K: Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

click to read an excerpt

M: My mom was from Austria, so we used to open presents Christmas Eve, which was apparently the custom there. I thought I was a pretty lucky kid not to have to wait all night to see what Santa brought. My husband’s mom was from Canada, so it’s Christmas morning in the Robinson house. :P

On Christmas Eve we usually have a “cocktail party,” with finger foods and snacks. The kids always thought they were grown up, and now that they are, champagne is involved too.

K: Author’s choice.
M: I am going to take the super-easy way out and ask that you pick any one of Kati’s great questions to answer! (LOL)

K: Thank you for participating in the Joyathon!
M: Thank you so much for having me! Happy Holidays, everyone, and may 2012 hold all your dreams!

SHARPE'S CHRISTMAS:

'Sharpe's Christmas' contains two short stories. In the title story Richard Sharpe, commanding the Prince of Wales's Own Volunteers, finds himself in a high, hard place with an enemy brigade on one side and a desperate force of Frenchmen fleeing their defeat in Spain on the other.

The second story, 'Sharpe's Ransom', is set in France, after the wars, when old enemies take Sharpe's woman and child hostage.

Where To Buy: Amazon | Book Depository
Book Extras: Book Page

Maggie is giving away a copy of SHARPE'S CHRISTMAS by Bernad Cornwell to one(1) lucky reader. The two stories were originally published in The Daily Mail(UK). Well, you heard the lady. Pick one(1) of my questions to answer. Here's how to enter:

• Leave an answer to any of the questions I asked Maggie along with your email addy, ninja style: yourname at gmail dot com.
• Fill out the rafflecopter form below. You must answer one of the questions I asked Maggie. All other entries are optional. (They do give you more chances.)

Easy peasy right? Don't forget to enter for the awesome super secret prize here.

A huge thank you to Maggie for participating in the Joyathon and for giving away a copy of SHARPE'S CHRISTMAS.